


6 Interactions: Derek and Sheriff Stilinski

by Diary



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Awkward Conversations, Bechdel Test Fail, Father-Son Relationship, Introspection, Love, POV Sheriff Stilinski, Pre-Season/Series 03, Self-Reflection, Sheriff Stilinski & Stiles Stilinski Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-31 01:52:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12665853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: Repost. Snapshots of Sheriff Stilinski and Derek's interactions between season 1 to after season 2. Complete.





	6 Interactions: Derek and Sheriff Stilinski

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Teen Wolf.

1.

From what Sheriff Stilinski’s gathered, Derek Hale has been in New York for the last several years, and he wonders if Derek has had his share of run-ins with the law there.

“We have a warrant for your arrest,” the visibly twitching deputy announces.

He can’t blame the man. Almost entirely devoid of colour, the Hale house is full of dust and the faint, still present smell of fire.

Without changing his expression, Derek ignores the outstretched warrant. “I’m putting my hands behind my head.” Raising them slowly, he does.

He can see by the subtle bend in Derek’s right knee that Derek’s ready to either get down on them or lie down on the floor, and he knows this kind of preparation usually comes from experience, not watching cop shows.

After placing the handcuffs on Derek, he gets his card out and starts, “Derek Hale, I’m placing you under arrest on the suspicion of Laura Hale’s murder. You have the right to…”

…

He’s a little disturbed at how unsurprising it is his son would get in a squad car to talk to an alleged murderer.

After reading the signature confirming Derek's waived his right to have an attorney present for questioning, he sits down in the interrogation room.

“First thing, you’re going to tell me everything you know about my son.”

Derek’s expression is calm with hints of restrained anger. “A few days ago, he and Scott McCall came onto my property. They were looking for an inhaler. I gave them the one I’d found and told them to leave. About fifteen minutes ago, he asked me why I killed Laura.”

“That’s all?”

“Your son almost tripped several times while he and Scott were there. In the car, he told me he wasn’t afraid of me, and when I didn’t respond, he proceeded to acknowledge he was. Something was mentioned about how Scott shouldn’t play lacrosse tonight. All of that is more than I ever wanted to know about him.”

He knows he should be insulted, but all he can muster is relief. One of Stiles’s greatest defences is his energetic nature and lack of brain-to-mouth filter. It annoys plenty of people to the point of, instead of hurting him, they’re too exhausted and exasperated to be around him and will actively work not to be.

“Okay. Did you kill your sister?”

“No.”

“She was illegally buried in your yard. From what I’ve gathered, you were the last person to see her alive.”

“Laura told me to stay in New York,” Derek says, and he has to remind himself of the fact that lack of emotion isn’t conclusive proof of guilt. “She never came back or returned my calls or texts. You have her phone and mine. You can check for yourself. I came back to try to find her. I found half of her body. A wolf had torn out her throat. I admit to illegally burying her. I didn’t kill her.”

“How do you know a wolf did it?”

Last week, he heard his son repeatedly yelling into the phone, ‘It had to be a werewolf, Scott! I’ve already told you, we absolutely, positively don’t have wolves here! And how else do you explain the lack of asthma attacks?’

At the time, he’d thought they were arguing over some movie, but he realises this should have been his clue right there Scott had been in the woods that night.

“One of my cousins lived in New Hampshire and worked in a rehabilitation preserve for wild animals. She had a special interest in wolves.”

Right, he thinks with a barely repressed shudder. He remembers the pregnant, blue-eyed woman who had bought Stiles an ice-cream cone one day when Stiles had run into her and coated her pretty, white floral dress with some dark, nut-filled flavour. He’d tried to pay her back, but she’d refused. He remembers she was only supposed to be visiting for a week or two.

Neither she nor the baby had survived.

“Okay. Say I believe you. Why didn’t you report it? Why did you bury her in a shallow grave with no funeral, no nothing?”

“Laura was friendly with everyone, but her only real friend was- is a paralysed, blind woman in a New York nursing home. Her contact information is in Laura’s phone. If there are other Hales out there, I don’t know where they are or how to reach them. All she and I had left was our comatose uncle, who probably wouldn’t understand if I told him. I buried her, because, I didn’t want to have to deal with the people, paperwork, and fees.”

“Did you know about us finding her other half?”

“Even if I did, are you going to find the wolf who did this?”

“Yes or no,” he insists.

“I wasn’t positive. For all I knew, the wolf could have killed others. I had the part that I knew was my sister.”

He sighs. “Laura’s body is being autopsied. If you’re telling the truth, you’ll be able to leave shortly. We’re not going to bother with charging you for the illegal burial or failure to report her death. If not, I’m moving you to a cell. Do you need to use the bathroom or anything to eat or drink?”

“If I could have some water,” Derek replies.

“Alright.” He checks the handcuffs.

…

“Were you arrested in New York?”

Derek simply looks at him.

“The way you handled it tends to come from first-hand experience.”

Shaking his head, Derek drinks his water. “We had a neighbour who hit his girlfriend. Laura stepped in, and the police arrested her. One of the deputies who was keeping an eye on me explained exactly what a person should do when being arrested and why.”

His phone pings. As he’s looking at it, Derek sets the water down and positions his hands.

“This door locks,” he says. “And just to remind you, you are being recorded.”

He leaves without re-cuffing him.

...

2.

He’s looking for a parenting book, because, he needs someone.

After Claudia first died, there was an endless supply of people wanting to help him and Stiles. All they needed (or so he thought) was time alone to grieve and get used to it just being the two of them.

Now, Stiles is apparently running around with a twice-suspected murderer.

Scott had given a statement saying he was wrong and that Derek had come by to talk to Adrian Harris about Laura Hale, and Derek had helped protect them from whoever killed the janitor.

It doesn’t seem as if Stiles particularly likes Derek, but he’d still tried to make sure Stiles wasn’t being hurt.

‘Oh my God, Dad, is this the bad touch speech? Oh my God, it is. Dad, Derek is- you know how some people are destined to grow old with their cats or comic books or whatever? That’s Derek. I think he had a girlfriend and bad breakup in the past, but it’s not something I feel comfortable asking, to be honest. Seriously, though. There’s very little in the way of physical contact.’

His son, for unclearly defined reasons, is running around with a twenty-something man who has been through a huge trauma and is a twice-suspected murderer. Add this plus a willingness, perhaps, even desire, to hang out with two sophomore kids, and- he needs someone.

It doesn’t feel right to ask any of his deputies, and the only civilian he knows on a more personal level than the routine friendly small talk is Melissa McCall, and she’s always so busy at the hospital. Moreover, a few conversations when they’re sitting together on the bleachers doesn’t make them friends, and he’s the one who dealt with things when she and her ex-husband had their fights.

Therefore, he’s in the library and hoping there’s a section on how to deal with hyperactive, impulsive teenagers who run around with suspect people when he spots Derek checking out several books. Walking over, he sees a book on herbs, one on Celtic mythology, and one that looks to be a supernatural thriller.

“Derek Hale.”

“Sheriff,” is the neutral answer.

“I’d like to talk to you for a minute.”

“I’ll wait by the door,” Derek says.

…

“Why are you spending so much time with Scott and my son?”

“Scott can answer for himself. And I wouldn’t willingly go near Stiles if it weren’t for Scott.”

“I will be talking to Scott,” he warns. “I don’t take kindly to people who hurt children. If I ever find out you’ve hurt Scott or Stiles, you will be sorry.”

“I understand.”

“I hope so.”

...

3.

Sometimes, he feels he’s the only sane person in town.

He understands inter-generational friendships just fine. When he was in high school, his neighbours had an eight-year-old girl, and he wasn’t so much her babysitter as her friend.

Other things he can understand are young adults dating teenagers. It’s something he’s seen all his life. Sometimes, the relationships work, and sometimes, they don’t, but the level of violence and abuse is about on par with people who date closer in their age group.

Erica Reyes is suddenly symptom-free of her crippling epilepsy, and he shares her parents’ joy.

In less joyous news, she’s suddenly running around with Derek Hale and occasionally skipping classes.

He’s tried talking to the Reyes’s, but they’re so happy their daughter can finally be rebellious without it being a matter of literal life-or-death they’re willing to indulge her. They trust her judgement in people, and they’ve made it clear she’s too tell them immediately if Derek ever does anything that hurts her or makes her uncomfortable.

Isaac Lahey is a fugitive, and he can’t prove it, but he thinks Derek is harbouring the boy.

Standing firmly in the middle of the door, Derek says, “Sheriff.”

“I’ve had reports of Isaac being spotted around here. May I come in?”

“Do you have a warrant?”

He sighs. “No, but I can call one in and stand right here until it comes through.” Before Derek can respond, he continues, “But you know this land better than I do, and if Isaac is here, he’ll probably sneak away while I’m waiting. Do you really think this is helping him, Mister Hale? Hiding from the law and living in a place like this?”

Derek shrugs. “Call me Derek. And I think that, if Isaac was sleeping on the floor in some teenager’s room and you liked their family, you wouldn’t bother asking to search their house. You’d let him stay until you found definitive evidence one way or another.”

“You’re free to think what you want, but I don’t pick and choose which parts of the law I’m going to enforce,” he snaps.

“You believe he’s innocent, and you’re worried that being locked in a jail or juvie might hurt him.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that him hiding isn’t going to get anything solved.”

“Is that all?”

“For now,” he says. “Broken record, but if I find out you’ve hurt him, you’ll pay.”

…

He finds himself back at the Hale house. “Here.” He hands Derek the papers declaring Isaac no longer a suspect. “I’m still going to need to talk to him. Evading arrest isn’t to be taken lightly.”

Derek reads the papers carefully, and then, says, “Isaac.”

Out of nowhere, Isaac appears.

“Go talk to the sheriff.”

Isaac hesitates, and Derek says, “If you need me, I’ll hear you.”

Nodding, Isaac comes over.

...

4.

This isn’t him.

He’s never been one to feel sorry for himself or accept things he didn’t like without trying to change them.

When he and Claudia were deciding what kind of parents they wanted and needed to be, they agreed they wouldn’t tolerate a kid who lied. They’d always try to help their child, but they wouldn’t help them avoid taking responsibility for bad behaviour.

He doesn’t know why he’s not trying to change things. He doesn’t know why he’s accepting the lies and all the laws, laws he has (had) a sworn duty to uphold, Stiles is breaking. He doesn’t know why he doesn’t demand the truth or tell the deputy temporarily holding the sheriff’s badge to launch a full investigation into his son.

When it comes down to it, he knows what’s right, and he’s always tried to do the right thing. Even when he was a kid and deliberately did something wrong, his conscience would never let him rest for long.

It seems as if his conscience has finally given up.

“This is private property,” Derek informs him, and the, _and you no longer have the badge to override that_ , is clear in his tone.

“Did you have anything to do with Stiles kidnapping Jackson?”

Genuine surprise briefly crosses Derek’s face. “Stiles kidnapped Jackson?”

“You didn’t know.”

Derek rubs his head. “You’ve been drinking. I can smell it. At the risk of being punched, what in the hell are you talking about? Your son, who’s somewhere around 150 pounds soaking wet, trips over his own feet, and feels the need to tell everyone exactly what he’s thinking the second it pops into his head- that Stiles kidnapped someone? He kidnapped Jackson, who, from the looks of him, could easily take someone in a fight.”

“Why in the hell do you think I lost my badge?”

“Politics,” Derek answers. “Whoever’s going around killing people still hasn’t been caught.”

Slumping onto the ground, he leans against the house. “Yes. Stiles and Scott kidnapped Jackson and kept him in the back of a police van. My son- I could handle the associating with you and sneaking out with Scott despite curfew, but this-”

Pulling out his phone, Derek calls someone. “You’re an idiot. Kidnapping Jackson. Brilliant plan. Listen, your dad is here, drunk, and if you don’t come get him soon, I’m calling a cab.”

After a moment, Derek says, “Yes, Stiles, this is an evil plan. Tell me how I know that you and Scott used a police van and that’s why your father lost his badge.”

“I’m still sitting right here,” he says, and it comes out louder than he intended.

“Stiles! He’s your dad. You get him, and you shove your bizarre-sounding hangover cure down his throat! Yes. For one thing, that’s a traditional herb; yours sounds like a hazing drink. You just almost ran a stop sign, didn’t you?”

...

5.

“Sheriff.”

“For once, I’m not here to express my reservations or drunkenly invade your property,” he says. “I saw your name on the petition to reinstate me.”

Derek briefly looks away. When he looks back over, there’s a vague hint of sympathy on his face. “I don’t like you being around every time I turn around, and I know you’d be relieved if I left town. That doesn’t mean you haven’t proven yourself to be a good sheriff.”

“The petition was started after my drunken invasion.”

“My family’s dead,” is Derek’s response. “I was never arrested in New York, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t do regrettable things. You lost your job, and your relationship with Stiles is complicated.”

“Regardless, you have my apology and my promise to never do it again. And thank you for your signature.”

Nodding, Derek walks away.

...

6.

Erica and a classmate of hers named Vernon Boyd are missing, and the latter was the newest member to Derek’s collection of troubled adolescents. Her parents have hired a private investigator and cling to their belief Erica ran off with him and will call them to come get her when the money runs out and the two realise they’re too young to face the world all alone, no matter how in love they are. 

The Boyd family is quiet, private, and barely cooperative.

He questions Derek, Isaac, Scott, and Stiles. When he hears Erica didn’t get along with Allison Argent and Lydia Martin, he questions the latter and wishes he’d known before the former went to France. If not for the loss of his own wife, he’d find that suspicious, but as it is, he finds himself hoping Chris Argent manages to make better choices for his daughter than he himself did for Stiles.

He questions everyone associated with the school’s ROTC program and talks to the teenage girl who sold Boyd art supplies every Sunday.

Derek and Isaac are quiet and don’t object as the Hale house is scoured top to bottom by the department.

After listening to his objections to Isaac living with Derek, a social worker tiredly explains what he’s heard before about other kids: Isaac will just run away from any foster or group home he’s placed in. At sixteen and seventeen, if a kid refuses to enter the system, unless there’s reason to believe they could be a danger to others or they aren’t mentally competent, no one is going to fight.

After the house is done being examined, people start talking about officially condemning the Hale house.

Going over, he sits on the porch with Derek.

“Where’s Isaac?”

“Nearby.”

“I’ll cut to the chase: Do you care about him?”

“How many times do I need to tell you-”

“That you’re in no way attracted to teenage boys.” He doesn’t even bother feeling guilty for his sense of relief.

There comes a time in every parent’s life they must accept their kid is going to bring home someone they will have to try really hard not to shoot.

When Stiles was seven, he was determined to marry Ursula from the Little Mermaid. A year or two later, Stiles wouldn’t shut up about Lydia, who aside from knowing how to make homemade, highly illegal, extremely dangerous weapons, isn’t the nicest person around from what he’s heard. Occasionally, Stiles babbles about Danny Mahealani, a polite, funny kid who is also a sophisticated hacker and occasional partner-in-crime to Jackson Whittemore, who he's has never been able to stand.

Now, he’s moderately sure Stiles has turned some of his romantic attention towards Derek.

Hell, if he’s not allowed to have honesty and a son that doesn’t make a disturbing habit of being near crime scenes with no reasonable explanation, he doesn’t think it’s asking too damn much for Stiles to bring home some nice, normal, boring girl or boy in his own age group. Someone like Scott, he supposes, minus the enabling of and enlistment in his schemes.

“Or girls.”

“Today, you don’t need to tell me that. In a general sense, do you care for him?”

“Yes.”

“This house isn’t fit for a grown man, let alone a teenager. You can fight the city, but if you care for Isaac, I suggest you willingly sign it over. A teenager needs a place that doesn’t smell like smoke. He needs a proper room with a door and bed. There are other things, like air conditioning, a heater, running water, and electricity, all of which are going to become harder to get for this place. He’d also do well in a place that isn’t known for being a house of death.”

He starts to get up, but Derek startles him by saying, “Sometimes, I see a lot of Stiles in you. Sometimes, I see a lot of you in him.”

“Oh, crap.” At Derek’s look, he says, “I’m sure you realise how, at this point in time, that’s anything but comforting.”

“From what I’ve seen, some parents always stay the type they believe they should be. Some realise that, for all their intent, they can’t. I can’t tell you what’s going on with Stiles, partly, because, it’s his to tell, and partly, because, I don’t understand some of it. He’s not a killer. Whether he’s a good person and has the right to keep secrets from you is a call you have to make.”

“This is more words than you’ve ever spoken to me,” he notes.

“You don’t like me, and you don’t trust me. But you’ve always treated me fairly.” Derek stands. “I hear Isaac coming. Do you want to talk to him before he and I start getting ready to leave?”


End file.
